Head coach Mack Brown and the UNC football team got some good news Monday morning. Defensive lineman Ray Vohasek, who originally intended to leave school after the 2021 season and enter the NFL Draft, announced he would be returning for the 2022 season.

“I’m super excited to be back in Chapel Hill,” Vohasek said Monday. “And I’m really excited about what this defense has, and what my room has with the young guys.”

Vohasek has started at defensive tackle for UNC in 24 of its last 25 games, and is a two-time All-ACC Honorable Mention honoree. He recorded 38 tackles, a sack, four tackles for loss and three pass break-ups in 2021. One of his more memorable highlights came in UNC’s upset win over No. 9 Wake Forest, when Vohasek batted down a pass from Demon Deacons quarterback Sam Hartman on fourth down during Carolina’s comeback.

However, Vohasek revealed he played through pain during the season.

“It was a funky injury. It was tough to deal with,” he said. “It was a decent amount of pain, I’ll say that.”

Vohasek also said he recently had surgery to fix the issue, and while his recovery will keep him out of spring practice, UNC expects him back for summer workouts.

Vohasek’s return gives a boost to a defensive line room which should be among the more talented personnel groups for the Tar Heels in 2022. Joining him in the trenches will be All-ACC second teamer Myles Murphy, rising sophomore Jahvaree Ritzie, and five-star freshman Travis Shaw. They’ll be tasked with rejuvenating a UNC rushing defense which was embarrassed in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl against South Carolina.

“The way the bowl game went, the way some of the things went at the end of the season, it’s the best motivation,” Vohasek said. “When you feel that pain, that disappointment, because we had such high expectations.”

The team’s spring game is scheduled for April 9, while the 2022 regular season gets underway August 27 against Florida A&M in Kenan Stadium.

 

Featured image via 247 Sports

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